1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print job management method and an image forming apparatus, more particularly, a print job management method of transiting a print job to the suspended state when consumables such as sheets necessary for the print job are absent at the start of printing based on the print job, and an image forming apparatus performing the print job management method.
2. Description of the Related Art
When designated consumables are absent, for example, designated sheets are absent in any feeding stages at the start of printing in an image forming apparatus which forms an image on a print medium such as a sheet, a print job is suspended after, for example, displaying an error. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-254485, when sheets of a required print size are not loaded or run out, the print data is saved in a memory. When sheets of the required print size have been loaded or replenished to enable printing at the sheets of required size, it is made possible to print using the saved print data.
According to the conventional method, for example, even if subsequent print jobs include a print job printable using sheets of another size left in a feeding stage, no printing of any other print jobs can be executed till the end of printing based on the first print job. Conventionally, print data has been saved when it is determined that sheets run out. Thus, even if printing based on a currently executed but suspended print job can be resumed after simple replenishment work, a troublesome operation is necessary to resume the suspended print job. Consumables designated by a print job are not limited to sheets. The same problems arise even in print job control based on the presence/absence of consumables such as staples or toner.